A Slave and a Noble
by RoyxRizaFan
Summary: What happens when Ciel Phantomhive and Yako Katsuragi switch places? Ciel is forced to solve mysteries alongside the sadistic Nougami Neuro, while Yako is pampered by the butler, Sebastian Michaelis.
1. A Slave and a Noble

**A Slave and a Noble**

Yako let out a loud, tired sigh, falling onto the couch. She stared up at the ceiling, struggling to keep her eyes open. She had spent the entire day running back and forth with Neuro, trying to solve another mystery. They hadn't stopped for food once, and she was famished. Not to mention that she almost got killed about ten times.

It was just another day at work.

"I need a union," she muttered under her breath, beginning to doze off.

"I hope you're not planning on sleeping, slave," Neuro's voice came from behind his desk. "The office is filthy."

Yako yawned, shaking her head. "Godai can clean it. I have a test tomorrow that I need to study for."

"Why do _I _have to do it?" Godai cried out. "You can't make me clean this pit!"

Yako's eyes continued to wander across the ceiling, falling onto a random bloodstain on the ceiling. She cringed, reminded of what the office had been for before they had taken it over. "Perhaps you're right…"

Akane took up a broom, wrapping her braid around it as she began to sweep the space around her laptop.

Yako sat up, glaring over at Godai, who was sitting at his desk with his legs propped up on its surface. "If _Akane _can do it, you can at least help me, Godai!" Yako insisted, forcing herself off of the couch. She stood up on her tired legs, balancing herself as she turned to face him. "Anything that will get the job done with sooner."

"Like hell," Godai retorted, stubborn and lazy.

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, one of his desk's drawers suddenly forced itself open, hitting him so hard that he fell out of his chair backwards, falling roughly onto the tile floor. Yako cringed, not having to look at Neuro's demonic expression to know he had just activated one of his traps.

"I don't need lazy slaves," Neuro reminded him.

"Then can I leave?" he asked hopefully.

"If you're leaving, it's out the window."

Painful memories flashed back to Godai. Reluctantly, he pulled himself up, cursing under his breath as he opened the broom closet, dragging out a mop and bucket. Yako walked up behind him, and he shoved the cleaning supplies into her arms, yanking out the vacuum cleaner. "Let's make this fast," he hissed under his breath angrily, shooting an angry glance over at Neuro, who looked more than amused.

"I'd prefer if you put on an apron and rubber gloves," Neuro added.

Godai began shouting back at him. "First you make me clean your mess, and now you want me to dress like an idiot?"

An innocent expression fell over Neuro's face. "What are you saying? I just want you to protect yourself, so you don't get hurt!"

Godai rolled his eyes. "Yeah, if I got hurt, _then _who'd clean up your mess?"

"Slave #1, of course."

Yako fell onto her knees, trying to ignore the fact that Neuro was watching her as she scrubbed the floor. Not only was she exhausted, but annoyed as well. All day long, Neuro had pushed her around, tauntingly dragging her past several restaurants on their way to their various destinations throughout the mystery. At this point, she was _looking forward _to studying.

Of course, Neuro only made matters worse by setting his 'pets' lose, claiming that they needed 'exercise'. Some left trails of slime, others left acidic footprints, and one even set Godai's apron on fire. Every time the two 'slaves' came close to finishing cleaning the room, Neuro would 'accidentally' kick something off of his desk. Eventually, he became bored, and left his desk.

"I'm going on a walk," he announced, "in search of a new case."

Yako stared at him in disbelief. "_Another _case? _Today_?"

"You're a famous detective!" Neuro reminded her with a smirk. "You should be _looking forward _to solving mysteries!"

_And yet, here I am, scrubbing your floor_, she thought bitterly.

"And don't think about taking any breaks," Neuro continued, dropping one of his demonic eye-creature-things onto his desk. "You're under surveillance."

Both servants let out a groan as Neuro left the office, in a cheerful mood. Yako had missed dinner and Godai had missed the latest episode of one of his favorite soap operas.

Godai glanced up over his shoulder at their window, letting out a sigh. "Damn it, I really need to find a new job. Or go into hiding or something."

"_You _can," Yako pointed out. "I'm a famous detective. I'm _stuck _with this job. No vacations for me." She yawned again, but the growling of her stomach drowned the sound out.

"Someday I'll get back at that creepy asshole," Godai promised, dusting off the surface of Akane's laptop

_You'll be free once he lets you go_, she thought to herself, _otherwise, you're stuck here, just like me_.

Of course, there were things Yako enjoyed about her job. She got to meet all sorts of interesting people, and she felt like she learned at lot as well. Sometimes, it just didn't seem worth it, though. Especially when she couldn't eat. A few times, she had considered buying a small fridge for the office, but thoughts of what Neuro could do to poison the food had scared the idea away.

For the first time, she wished with all her might that Neuro wouldn't' find a new mystery.

---

Nearly two hundred years in the past, a boy not much younger than Yako was living a life that was very similar, and yet very different. He, too, had made a pact with a demon, and often times, his job called him to solve cases. However, rather than being the demon's slave, the demon was his butler.

Ciel Phantomhive was seated at his table, scanning over his notes on a strange case the Queen had asked him to take care of. He was dealing with another serial killer, but none of the clues seemed to add up. The last murder had been of one of the Queen's guard, but he still couldn't figure out a solution.

Of course, he could just order Sebastian to figure it out for him. However, he could tell from the smirk on his butler's face that he was _waiting _for Ciel to cave, and the young Earl's pride kept his mouth shut. Silently, he continued to look over the notes, inwardly begging them to offer up an answer.

"Everyone always has an alibi," he muttered under his breath in an irritated tone.

"Did you say something, young master?"

"No," he quickly lied.

Sebastian stood behind Ciel, pouring him a glass of tea. "You should know, Lady Elizabeth is stopping by in the afternoon."

Ciel let out an aggravated sigh. "Can't you tell her to come another day? I'm busy."

"You'll have to accept your guest," Sebastian insisted in a calm tone. "Besides, I'm sure you'll have solved the case by then."

Ciel shot a glance over his butler, but turned away the moment he looked to meet his eyes. He had less faith that he'd solve the case so easily, and had the feeling Sebastian was subtly trying to provoke him.

A thousand thoughts raced through Ciel's mind. _His family all says he was running errands. I checked with the baker, and he said he came in and didn't buy anything. He must have known something was wrong. Perhaps he was stalling, while thinking of a way to approach someone who had been following him? He died only a block away, after all…. His brother holds a grudge against him over their father's inheritance, but he has an alibi_…

He kept reaching dead ends. Sitting up, he asked, "What's been prepared for lunch?"

Just as Sebastian opened his mouth to respond, the kitchen went up in flames.

"Lunch may be delayed," Sebastian responded calmly. "For the time being, enjoy your tea."

Ciel let out a sigh. "I really need to get new servants."

It was just another day at work.

---

It was nearly midnight when Yako collapsed onto her bed. It was too late to study, and she wouldn't have been able to keep awake even if she had tried. Her stomach continued to growl, louder than the hammering in her aching head, but she was far too exhausted to even _think _of walking to the kitchen.

_I wish I had someone to bring me something to eat_, she thought with a yawn. Too weak to so much as pull her covers over herself, the young schoolgirl rested her head against her pillows, allowing her eyes to drift shut without bothering to change, let alone close her window.

A cool breeze drifted into her room as she slipped into a sweet, relaxing dream. She dreamt she was sitting on top of a throne, with ten chefs carrying trays and trays of food up to her. A smile crept across her face as she dreamt until she fell into a deeper sleep, her mind going completely blank.

---

Around the same time, Ciel was still racking his mind over the mysterious case he had at hand. He read over his notes by candlelight, sitting at his desk in his pajamas. He hadn't gotten anywhere with his research, and Lizzy's visit hadn't helped. Especially since she had had such a good time that she was returning again the next day.

Hearing footsteps in the hall, he immediately cast his notes to the side, ready to leap into his bed. Unfortunately, his butler was far too fast for him, and was already knocking on the door, gently opening it to check in on his master.

"Is everything all right, my Lord?" he asked, trying to keep innocent curiosity in his tone. He glanced at the notes, as if he didn't already know what Ciel was up to. "Don't tell me you're still working on the case still?"

"I'm almost there," Ciel insisted. "I just need a little more time."

"Sleeping on it may help," Sebastian suggested. "Or, perhaps, I could offer my assistance?"

"That won't be necessary," the young Earl insisted in an unpleasant, abrupt tone. "I'll manage myself."

"Of course." Sebastian didn't sound convinced, but was amused by Ciel's proud persistence. With that, he left him to his notes, shutting the door with a soft _clack _behind him.

Ciel turned back to his papers, cringing at the thought of looking them over again. Perhaps sleep _would _help. He blew out his candle and made his way to his large, canopy bed, pulling the sheets over his head. He didn't bother removing his eye patch as he closed his eyes, immediately drifting into a dreamless sleep…

---

The young noble awoke the next morning feeling awfully cold, considering the fact that he had his large, comfy blankets over him. He rolled over, reaching to secure them around himself, and found that he was lying on _top _of his sheets rather than _under _them. Since he wasn't used to topping things, he was uncoordinated and awoke immediately, sitting upright.

Sunlight streamed in through an open window onto the small, twin sized bed he was lying in. It wasn't his usual canopy bed, and it _certainly _wasn't his bedroom. It was a small, crammed room with several empty bags of food flowing out of the trash barrel, and closet full of strange, colorful clothing. The desk caught his eye as well. A strange, flat rectangular piece of equipment had replaced his usual notes. What _was _that black…screen-like thing, with a board of numbers attached to it?

For the first time in his life, Ciel had to ask himself the dreaded question, _What happened last night_?

"Yako!" a voice called from downstairs. Ciel jumped, goose bumps rising on his arms. Who was Yako? Where _was _he?

"Sebastian?" he called out in a whisper. No response. He pressed his fingers to his eye patch, tearing it away. "Sebastian!" Still, nothing.

He quickly tied his eye patch back on, rushing to the open window. He peered out of it onto one of the strangest streets he had ever seen in his life, full of tall, flashing green and red lights and strange carriages that moved without horses whizzing back and forth.

"I must still be in a dream," he murmured to himself.

"Yako? Are you sick? You're never late for breakfast!" the voice called again.

Ciel backed away from the door. Where in the world was Sebastian?

More important, where in the world was _he_?

---

Yako rolled over contently, burying herself under the warm, thick blankets. Her body sunk into the large, soft mattress. In the distance, she heard the faint chirping of birds. Sunlight streamed in through her window, gradually trickling onto her face as a gentle notice that morning had come.

Yako snuggled deeper into the bed. After such a hard day at work, she was in no rush to wake up, especially with that test waiting for her.

The sound of footsteps came through her door. Something was set down on her nightstand. Yako's stomach growled. Was her mother giving her breakfast in bed as a treat after a long day of work? A gentle hand clasped onto her shoulder, giving her a small shake.

"It's morning, young master."

Yako's eyes flew open, but she remained as still as a rock. That deep, soothing voice _definitely _wasn't her mother. She rolled over, nearly banging heads with the butler leaning over her.

Sebastian's eyes grew wide with shock. "You're not the young master."

Unable to help herself, Yako let out a loud scream.

**Author's notes: It kind of starts off slow, but I hope you liked it and that you'll continue reading it!**

**Please drop me a review and let me know what you think of it so far!**


	2. A Change of Setting

**A Change of Setting**

Yako stumbled backwards across the large bed, scrambling away from the unfamiliar man that was standing before her. "What are you doing here?" she demanded in a high pitch tone, her wide eyes glued to him.

Sebastian looked at her, confusion flickering in his dark eyes. "Coincidentally, I was going to ask you that very question. What have you done with the young master?" There was a sinister, suspecting edge to his tone, but as he studied Yako's horrified face, he couldn't help but notice that she was just as equally confused.

"_Young master_?" she repeated. "_I _haven't done anything to him, but if you have a mystery, I'm sure we can talk about this at my office. Did my mother let you in?"

Sebastian looked at her sympathetically. "Look around you. Do you know where you are?"

For the first time, Yako tore her eyes from the gorgeous butler, examining the room around her. With a gasp, she realized it _certainly _wasn't hers. She was laying in a large, canopy bed, in an ornate, old-fashioned room. With a butler.

She jumped off the bed, pulling at a strand of her hair and giving herself a pinch to check that she was awake. Was this some sort of bizarre psychological experiment that Neuro was putting her through? Had a villain kidnapped her? Neither guess seemed to be right (although the first _was _possible). Anxiously, her eyes lifted to the butler again, who continued to stand on the other side of the bed, silently taking in the situation.

"What is your name?" he asked her in a kind tone.

Yako was grateful that the butler was being patient with her, but even more scared because he had as little of an idea of how she got there than she did. "I'm Yako Katsuragi," she answered.

"I'm judging that you're in England on vacation, then?" he asked, "or, perhaps, your father is on a business trip?"

"England?" she repeated in horror. Before Sebastian had the chance to respond, she had already dashed over to the other window, glancing out over the vast, beautiful land of the Phantomhive estate. She became short of breath, her lower jaw hanging open in awe.

"I'm not in Japan anymore," she murmured to herself softly. She glanced back over at Sebastian. "Who are _you_? Do you live here?"

"I'm (one hell of) a butler, Sebastian," he explained. "This is the Earl Ciel Phantomhive's estate."

"Earl?" she repeated, spinning around to face him with wide eyes.

Sebastian was distracted at the moment, noticing her pajamas for the first time. "May I ask what it is you are wearing?"

She glanced down at her baggy shirt and polka dotted pajama bottoms. "Pajamas," she answered.

"…Is that supposed to be your nightgown?" he asked slowly. "I have never seen a lady wearing gentlemen's attire as sleepwear before now."

"Welcome to the 21st century," she laughed in a sarcastic tone.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, and Yako felt the blood drain from her face.

"It _is _the 21st century, right?" she asked slowly.

Sebastian nodded towards the bed. "I think you might need to sit down."

---

A century and a half in the future, Ciel Phantomhive was rushing around Yako's room, trying to find a solution for his terrible dilemma. He could hear a woman's footsteps coming up the stairs, and could see no way to hide. Sebastian wasn't answering his calls, he had no idea where – or _when _– he was, and everywhere he turned he was faced with something unfamiliar. He darted into the closet as a hiding place for a moment, but the short, pleaded skirts and men's shirts scared him out. What kind of person would wear such an inappropriate, and odd combination of dress?! He darted across the room again, and was about to hide under the desk, when he noticed a mass of thick, tangled wires of various colors, all which were hooked up to the strange, black screen. Even more confused, he went towards the door, but beside it stood a tall stick with a shade on top, hiding a strange, oval piece of glass. Beside it was an odd switch, which he didn't dare to turn on. Horrified and out of time, he jumped into the bed, pulling the sheets over himself in hope of escaping the woman's notice.

"Yako?" the voice came again. The door opened, and in stepped Yako's mother. "You need to get up, or you'll miss the bus." _Bus? What was that_? "Do you want to be late for school?" When Ciel didn't answer, she continued, "Are you sick?"

Ciel responded by forcing out a few coughs.

"You push yourself too far with that detective job of yours," she went on. "Go ahead and rest today. If you'd like, I can make breakfast for you. There's a new recipe I've developed, and I want someone to test it on-" Ciel let out a small grunt. "Wow, you must be really sick if you don't even want to _eat_. I'll let you go back to sleep. If you need anything, call me at work."

At last, the door shut again. Ciel waited until he was sure she was gone before sitting back up, darting towards the window.

He watched as a thin, Japanese woman stepped into one of the automatic carriages. It made a large, roaring sound before she backed it away from the house, out onto the road, and drove off down the street.

Ciel stared in awe. _How did she do that_?

More important, what was he going to do now? He was still in his sleepwear, and there was no way he was borrowing clothing from that disgusting closet. Not knowing what else to do, he returned to his bed, forcing sleep upon himself in the hope that he'd wake up to find it was all a terrible dream.

Like that would happen.

---

Yako sat down at the end of the long breakfast table, swinging her legs back and forth in a soothing motion, trying to calm her nerves. Everything about the Phantomhive estate was _breathtaking_. She wished she wasn't so worked up so she could enjoy it.

She had related her entire story to the strange – but amazingly handsome – butler, but neither of them had been able to find a solution to the problem. The butler was surprisingly calm in the situation, and seemed almost _amused _at times by what had happened.

"I suppose this means that the young master is in the future," he had deducted casually.

His calmness was admirable, but also startling. Yako had no idea how he managed to face this impossible situation without losing his nerve.

Her mind was racing a mile a minute, but the only answer she kept coming back to was that Neuro was playing a prank on her. Why _would _he, though? He enjoyed torturing her himself, so what fun would he get from this? Besides, it took her away from their detective duties, and wasted a lot of time. So it had to be something else.

She let out a small laugh, trying to imagine what Neuro would say when she explained that the reason she hadn't shown up to work was because she had been trapped in the past.

Sebastian reappeared from the kitchen, carrying out a tray of food. Yako looked up, taken off guard, and her stomach growled in anticipation from the wonderful smell.

"A cup to tea, to sooth your nerves," he said, placing it down in front of her, "and I hope you'll enjoy this breakfast of poached salmon and mint salad, with scones. It's one of the young master's favorite dishes, and I hope it will suit your tastes, my lady."

Yako blinked in disbelief as he placed the fantastic meal before her, and was even more astonished by what he had called her. "My lady?" she repeated in disbelief.

Sebastian glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Would you prefer me to address you otherwise?"

Yako stuttered for a moment before collecting herself, shaking her head. "No, not at all. In fact, I kind of like it." _It certainly beats 'slave'_, she thought to herself. _This guy is _nothing _like Neuro!_

"I've explained your dilemma to the other servants. I hope you don't mind, but there was no way around my telling them."

"I don't mind at all," Yako responded through a mouthful of scone. Sebastian cringed at her lack of manners, but didn't say anything, because she was a technically still a guest. "Servants, huh? This Earl seems really important."

As she said this, four heads appeared from around the corner, several sets of eyes peering at her in awe. She glanced up from her meal, staring back over at them. They vanished around the corner again.

Sebastian let out a sigh. "You can come out," he invited the other servants. "I have other tasks to perform, and I have to find a solution to this before Lady Elizabeth returns. If you could, please keep the guest company."

Mey Rin, Finny, Bard, and Tanaka crept into the dining room as Sebastian exited it, bowing to a flustered Yako as he went.

"I'm Finny," the young gardener immediately introduced himself, taking a seat beside Yako. "You _time traveled_, huh? We've had a lot of weird things happen here, but I've never heard of _that_!"

"Me either," she assured him with a sigh. "I'm just as confused as you are."

"I think it's kind of creepy," Bard admitted, scratching the back of his head. "No offense."

Yako was so used to severe insults that she didn't even know why he bothered to add 'no offense' to the end of that. "It's fine. I feel the same way." She took another bite before adding, "I know one of you probably has to keep an eye on me, but you don't all have to abandon your work for my sake."

"Actually…" Mey Rin began slowly, twiddling her fingers, "We wanted to ask you a few questions."

"What's the future like?" Finny blurted out excitedly, unable to hold it in any longer. He leaned across the table, his eyes flashing eagerly. "Do people still eat? Can dogs fly? Do machines make everything for you?"

"Yes, no, and yes," she answered quickly.

Their eyes widened in disbelief. "They make _everything_?" Finny repeated. "More than just cloth and iron?"

"It's kind of sad sometime. We rely a _lot _on machines in the future. Plus, carriages run on batteries and don't need horses."

"I don't know what batteries are," Mey Rin admitted, "but that sounds really-"

"-Goddamned scary!" Bard finished.

"They run on gas, too," she continued, having fun watching their expressions change.

"What do you do for a living, if the machines do everything?" Finny pressed on.

"I'm a detective," she responded, "and a high school student."

"A detective?" Mey Rin cried in astonishment. "Why, the young master has a similar job as well!"

"Not exactly," Bard interrupted, "but he does have to solve some cases for the Queen now and then."

"Queen _Victoria_?" Yako repeated, her eyes widening. "I read about her in history!"

Mey Rin's face lit up. "So she knows who she is!"

Yako had to admit, it _was _interesting to talk to people from a different time period, and them seemed normal enough. Besides, the food was excellent. And the butler was hot. Not that she'd admit it. But her nerves began to calm, and a relaxing feeling settled over her. Soon enough, she was talking freely to the servants about nothing inparticular.

A few minutes later, Sebastian reappeared. "I've called for Nina Hopkins. She'll be here soon to find something for the young lady to wear."

"I'm going to get clothes?" Yako cried out. "Victorian clothing?"

Sebastian smiled, chuckling softly. "Well, we can't exactly allow you to run around in that all day, can we?"

Bard smirked. "I was going to ask, what the hell is that?"

Yako looked down at her clothing, comparing it to Mey Rin's. There was a _lot _she was going to have to explain.

---

Ciel eventually managed to fall back asleep, but was awoken by the sound of his window being thrown open. A horrifying man with blonde and purple hair, wide, bright green eyes, and a bright blue suit crawled in through the window, dragging a man with a scary looking grimace and an earring in his lip behind him. Ciel gathered the sheets up around him, staring in horror as the two monsters made their way into his room.

"Get out, you brutes!" he cried out helplessly, watching them in horror. "What do you think you're doing, barging in through the _window_?"

Neuro dusted off his red gloves, raising his strange face to the young Earl. "Why, do you see this, Slave Number Two? It seems Slave Number One has a male acquaintance she hadn't told us about."

"What the hell is he doing in her bed?" Godai shouted, though he seemed to have made an answer for himself already.

"I suppose we'll have to ask Yako," Neuro responded to Godai. Addressing Ciel, he added, "Would you know where she is?"

"I don't know _who _she is!" Ciel cried out defensively, edging away.

Neuro placed on his innocent, pouting face. "Isn't that just terrible, Servant Number Two? It seems that this young boy has used Yako, and is now cutting off all ties with her! How ungentlemanly of you!"

Godai let out a sharp laugh. "Like _you're _one to talk. You're the one that sets her on fire every other day, and chains her from the ceiling for hours on end-"

Ciel stared at them in horror, suddenly grasping the subject of the conversation. "Who do you think I am?" he demanded angrily, offended by their perverse assumptions. "You shouldn't talk about such things so openly!"

Godai raised one of his eyebrows; his dark eyes looked Ciel up and down. "An _eye patch_?" he questioned. "What's up with that? Why don't you just get a glass eye?"

"Shh! He may be poor," Neuro hushed Godai, "which is why Yako must have paid him to spend the night with her."

"I am _not _a prostitute!" Ciel cried out defensively.

Even Neuro couldn't help but snicker at the way he said it.

"Might we ask you your name?" Neuro asked, casually striding across the room, studying it for trances of his missing slave.

"I'm the Earl, Ciel Phantomhive, and I will make sure you regret speaking to me in such as casual manner once I return to my mansion!"

"What the hell is this guy smoking?" Godai spat.

"This is quite interesting," Neuro said, mostly to himself, as he continued to circle the room. "It seems as though this young boy is familiar with our time period."

"How did you get _that_?" Godai demanded.

"Isn't it obvious, from his dress, his questions, and the way he speaks?" Neuro demanded. "Even for a slave, you should be wiser than this. I may have to demote you."

"How can I be demoted any _further_?"

"What do you _mean_, different time period?" Ciel demanded. "The year is 1889!"

Godai backed away. "What the hell is he going on about?" He stared at Neuro expectantly. "Is this one of your tricks?"

"It seems that Yako truly is not here, and a boy from the past is in his place," Neuro observed calmly. He stood in silence for a moment before a devious smile spread across his face. He walked across the room, grabbing Ciel by the wrist, and dragged him out from the bed.

"I suppose you will have to do," he concluded. "For the time being, you are Yako Katsuragi, high school detective!"

Ciel struggled to free his wrist from his grip. "Don't touch me so easily!" he cried, although his efforts were in vain.

"Now, Neuro finished, "Let us go!"


	3. An Adjustment

**An Adjustment**

Yako sat in the large drawing room, shifting anxiously in the enormous chair, twiddling her thumbs and tapping her heels impatiently as she watched the hands of the large grandfather clock creep along. The servants bustled in and out of the room, so she was never alone, but they were too busy, going about their daily chores, to make any more conversation with her. Bard spent most of his time in the kitchen, May Rin always seemed to be in a different part of the house, and most of Finny's time was spent outside. Mr. Tanaka sat across from her, slowly sipping his tea, but all he did was sit and smile through the steam, his eyes glued shut as if he was enjoying a nap. Yako was left alone, feeling more and more uneasy by the moment, hiding in the shadows of the room from the window. Sebastian had made it clear that if any neighbors or other acquaintances of theirs spotted her, there would be far too much explaining to do.

Sebastian appeared in the doorway, and Yako looked up excitedly. "Is the tailor here?" she cried out. "I feel so out of place, sitting in this ornate room in my pajamas!"

"She has yet to arrive," Sebastian responded grimly, watching as Yako's face fell, "but I am positive she will be arriving shortly. I made it clear that we have an emergency at our hands, and she has brought some extra dresses she had in the shop that she thinks may fit you. The less time it takes her to finish the outfits, the better. In the meantime," he continued, gesturing towards the doorway, "the maid has agreed to lend you a dress of hers, agreeing that it would be most improper for you to greet Ms. Hopkins dressed as you are now."

Yako nodded along to everything Sebastian was saying, hanging off of his every word simply because he seemed so sure of himself, which was far from what she was feeling at the moment. "I'll have to thank her," she said, blushing at the inconvenience everyone was going through to make her comfortable. "You're all being too kind to me!"

A smile stretched across Sebastian's face as she said this. "I am sure that this is how the young master would have wished us to attend to his guest, were he here at the moment," he answered politely, "and I am hoping that, wherever the young master is, he is being treated with an equal amount of civility."

Yako stared at Sebastian with wide eyes, a horrible thought coming into her mind. The butler watched her closely, and she forced a smile across her face, letting out a coarse laugh.

"Yeah," she agreed in a doubtful tone, "yeah, I sure hope the Earl's in good hands, too…"

---

At that very moment, the respectable Earl Ciel Phantomhive was hanging upside-down by his ankles out of Yako's window, screaming like a little girl. Neuro smirked evilly, chuckling to himself as he watched the young Earl swinging back and forth, struggling to lift his body back up to the windowsill.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" Godai demanded loudly, slamming his fist against the windowsill as he glared at Neuro. "Instead of getting answers, you're torturing him for your own amusement!"

"This _is _me getting answers," Neuro defended himself, "although I have to admit, I do find it amusing. I was sure I would eventually come to miss slave number one's shrill cries of pain, but it seems that this boy's screams are equally as high, and therefore as satisfying."

"You're sick," Godai grumbled, rolling his dark eyes and crossing his arms.

Neuro peered at him from the corner of his eye. "Is my second slave jealous? Would you like to join him?" He gestured to Ciel, shaking his ankle so that his entire body swung back and forth, causing him to let out another chorus of screams.

Godai grumbled a few swears under his breath before loudly demanding, "How is _this _getting answers? All the damn kid's doing is wailing like a fucking seagull!"

"I'm _training _him, just like I trained you and Yako," Neuro responded matter-of-factly.

"I get it, I get it!" Ciel cried desperately, mentally cursing Sebastian for not appearing at his calls. "Let me down!"

"You want me to let you _down_?"

"No, no! Let me _up_! Pull me _up_!"

Neuro swung Ciel up, tossing him back through the window with so much force that the boy flew across the room, slamming into Yako's door. The impact shook the room, and one of her photographs fell over, revealing a box of chocolates.

"That is quite like my other slave," Neuro noted in a thoughtful tone. "I wonder if she has chocolate wherever she is now?"

"I'm more curious as to _where _she is!" Godai interrupted, glaring at Ciel. "Why don't you tell us what you know, twerp?"

"I don't know _anything_!" he insisted, pulling himself to his feet. "Can I _please _get dressed?"

"He doesn't know anything?" Neuro repeated. "An unintelligent, foolish slave will do me no good. How shall we dispose of him, Godai?"

"I didn't mean it like _that_!" he cried out helplessly. "Do you have any other clothing than what's in that closet?"

"I say we bring him back to the office, and see how he holds up on the job," Neuro suggested. "I'm sure he can answer all of our questions on the way."

"How can you ask me anything, if I don't know anything?"

Godai frowned. "Quit saying that! Do you _want _to die?"

Ciel glanced nervously at Neuro, shuddering. _What is with the outrageous hair colors? It's as if I've been dragged to some bizarre circus. Who _is _this man? More importantly, where is Sebastian?_ His eyes flickered around the room, but he could find nothing familiar, or anything with an answer attached to it.

What was he going to do?

---

"Miss Nina Hopkins is here!" Finny announced excitedly, dashing up the path to the house. "She's here, Mr. Sebastian!" He rushed through the front door, beaming at Yako. "I can't wait to see what you think of the clothing of the past!"

"Finny, you're trailing dirt into the house," Sebastian commented with a sigh, "and I am sure Miss Katsuragi can form an opinion on our fashion based on what _we're _wearing."

Finny stumbled backwards into the doorway, shrugging. "I just think it would be interesting, trying out clothing from a different time period. I'm interested in what people wear in the future, after all!"

"Not much," Yako answered simply, with a little snicker.

Nina Hopkins pushed right past Finny, a large, animated smile on her face. "Sebastian!" she cried energetically, throwing her arms up as she spoke. "I hurried here as fast as I could manage when I received your call- where is the dear girl?"

Yako stepped forward, nearly tripping over the end of her skirt. "Right here, ma'am."

Ms. Hopkin's eyes moved over to Yako, and she jumped, amazed at how she was swallowed up by the dress she had borrowed. "She certainly _is _in need of better fitting clothing. Is this a case the Queen has sent to the Earl, or is he opening up his wallet to the poor and needy?"

"She's a young lady looking for a job in the young master's staff," Sebastian lied smoothly. "She has wonderful working skills, but doesn't look the part."

"Of course! I understand." She flung up her suitcase, displaying the several dresses she had folded inside of it. "Pick one, and try it on," she instructed Yako, taking out some pins, "and I'll do the rest!"

---

Ciel glanced around anxiously as he walked down the street, alongside Neuro and Godai, staring with a wide, suspecting eye at all the strange people passing by.

"I think you lied," he accused Neuro through barred teeth, glaring up at him.

"You haven't seen any other children yet," Neuro reminded him in an innocent tone. "I promise that once you do, you'll see you fit right in."

Ciel frowned, annoyed to be called a 'child,' though he knew better than to argue. "I still doubt that parents drag their kids around on _leashes_, like dogs, and dress them in…_this_!" Ciel glared down at the large, black robe Neuro had thrown on him. "I look like the _Undertaker_!" he cried in dismay, not realizing that anything to do with the Undertaker is automatic epic. He pulled at the leash around his neck, blushing when he imagined what kind of comments Sebastian would make if he saw him then.

"You refused to wear Yako's skirts, so you have to settle with her Halloween costume," Neuro answered flatly, the corner of his mouth rising into a smirk.

Suddenly, Neuro stopped, a strand of his purple hair fluttering up. A smirk drifted across his face, and they suddenly changed direction.

Ciel hesitated, but the leash tugged at him, forcing him along. "What…what the hell was that?"

"This mystery is on the tip of my tongue," Neuro responded simply, feeling it needed no more explanation.

"Mystery?" he repeated, taken aback.

"It should be interesting to see how my new slave works with our other friends," Neuro commented in a more demonic tone, glancing at the crime scene up ahead, where Sasazuka and Ishigaki were hunched over a corpse and taking notes.

Ciel's eyes widened at the scene. A dozen officers – that's what he guessed they were, though they looked _nothing _like Abberlain or the other members of Scotland Yard – were dashing this way and that, leaping out of a colorful 'car' with bright lights flashing from the top of it. Ciel was overwhelmed by the scene before him, not recognizing a single thing but the sidewalk they were standing on – all the other objects were foreign to him. He turned his eyes to the sky, once again mentally begging Sebastian to appear, but to no avail.


End file.
